London Post Office Railway
The Post Office Railway, also known as Mail Rail, was a narrow-gauge driverless private underground railway in London built by the Post Office to move mail between sorting offices. Inspired by the Chicago Tunnel Company, it was in operation from 1927 until 2003. Geography It ran east–west from Paddington Head District Sorting Office in the west to the Eastern Head District Sorting Office at Whitechapel in the east, a distance of 6.5 miles (10.5 km). It had eight stations, the largest of which was located underneath Mount Pleasant, but by 2003 only three stations remained in use because the sorting offices above the other stations had been relocated. Recent history A Royal Mail press release in April 2003 revealed that the system would be closed and "mothballed" (i.e. removed from active service) at the end of May that year. Royal Mail had earlier stated that using the Post Office Railway was five times more expensive than using road transport for the same task. The Communication Workers Union claimed the actual figure was closer to three times more expensive but argued that this was the result of a deliberate policy of running the system down and using it at only one-third of its capacity. Despite a report by the Greater London Authority in support of the continued use of Mail Rail, the system was taken out of use in the early hours of 31 May 2003. Some of the former Mail Rail trains have been preserved at the Launceston Steam Railway.Launceston Steam Railway Rolling stock The London Post Office Railway used various types of rolling stock during its history. The first stock was delivered in 1926 with the opening of the system. All stock used has been electrically powered. Electric locomotives * 1926 Electric Locomotives — Original locomotives Electric units * 1927 Stock — Original stock * 1930 & 1936 Stock — Replacement stock for 1927 Stock * 1962 Stock — Prototype stock * 1980 Stock — Replacement stock In fiction *The Post Office Railway features in the novel The Horn of Mortal Danger (1980). In the novel, there is a connecting tunnel between the Railway and the secret railway of the North London System. The only other known connection is in the disused tunnel between Highgate and the disused Cranley Gardens. *The railway appears in the film Hudson Hawk, but rebadged as the 'Poste Vaticane' of Vatican City. Bruce Willis (as Hawk) stows away in one of the mail containers. *A mail train system closely based on the Mail Rail is used in Charlie Higson's third Young Bond book, Double or Die. Stations Main line *Willesden Central *Paddington *Bird Street *Wimpole Street *Rathbone Place *New Oxford Street *Mount Pleasant *King Edward Street *Liverpool Street *Whitechapel Branch line south *South West *Waterloo *South East Parcels *South East District *London Bridge *Cannon Street Branch line north *Euston *North Western District Office *St Pancras *King's Cross *Northern District Office See also *Subterranean London *List of British heritage and private railways *Chicago Tunnel Company References Further reading * * * * * External links *Enthusiast Website Unofficial MailRail Web Page *Alternative link London Post Office Railway *Detailed information on construction and operation. *The British Postal Museum & Archive *Guardian article on proposed mothballing. *GLA report on the closure in PDF format. *Google map of the route and stations. London Post Office Railway rolling stock UK London Post Office Railway Locomotives Category:Industrial railways Category:Two foot gauge railways Category:Subterranean London Category:History of rail transport in London de:London Post Office Railway ru:Лондонская почтовая железная дорога zh:伦敦邮政铁路